In game two of the inaugural United Football League season, the St. Louis Battlehawks finally have a chance to meetup with a former USFL squad when they travel to Ford Field in Detroit to meet the Michigan Panthers. This will be the first time either of these teams have met.
We should be looking at a thrilling matchup between two teams who know how important it will be to start off the short 10-week UFL season with a win.
What should we look for?
The Michigan Panthers finished the 2023 USFL season with a 4-6 record in Mike Nolan’s first year as head coach. In a three-way tie for first place in the North Division, the Panthers clinched a playoff berth with their 3-3 division record tiebreaker. The Panthers faced the Pittsburgh Maulers in the North Division Championship at Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, Ohio, but fell 31-27 in overtime.
Mike Nolan enters his second season as the head coach of the Michigan Panthers. A very seasoned NFL coach, Nolan has worked with 11 different NFL teams, serving as San Francisco 49ers head coach from 2005-08 and the defensive coordinator for eight different teams. As the head coach of the 49ers, he finished with a 18-37 overall record in parts of four seasons.
In 2024, the Michigan Panthers have returned the bulk of a team that made the USFL Playoffs in 2023, giving them a certain level of continuity on their squad. On offense, quarterback EJ Perry joined the team at the end of last season and is back with the Panthers as the starter in this game. The Panthers quarterback room has seen some competition during training camp with the addition of Danny Etling, who has spent the last six years in the NFL on various practice squads.
As for receivers, Trey Quinn and Cole Hikutini return as two of the top receivers from 2023. Quinn finished second on the team with 439 receiving yards while Hikutini led the team with five touchdowns. The receiver room has been bolstered by the additions of Devin Gray, who caught 50 passes for 502 yards last year for the Philadelphia Stars, and Jordan Suell, who caught 48 passes for 500 yards over the last two seasons for the Stars.
One place the Panthers had complete turnover is in their running backs. The team added some talent through the USFL dispersal draft, picking up All-USFL
honoree Wes Hills, who led the league in rushing last year with 680 yards and 10 touchdowns with the New Orleans Breakers. The team also added Matt Colburn II, who led all running backs with the Stars during the 2023 season. The third running back is Michigan native Nate McCrary, who has been in the NFL on various practice squads and is entering his first year in the spring.
Another addition on offense is offensive coordinator Marcel Bellefeuille, who joins the team after leading the offense and overseeing the receivers the last two years for the Philadelphia Stars. The Stars finished the season with one of the most potent offenses in the USFL.
On defense, the Panthers will be anchored by some familiar faces such as All-USFL selections Breeland Speaks on the defensive line and Frank Ginda at linebacker. Ginda was named the USFL Defensive Player of the Year after turning 104 total tackles and also led the Panthers with three interceptions.
Speaks finished with a league-best 9.0 sacks to go with his 53 total tackles. Corrion Ballard and Kai Nacua return as well to anchor the Panthers’ secondary. Some new faces include defensive lineman Kenny Willekes, who left as the all-time leader in tackles for loss at Michigan State in 2019, linebacker Javin White looks to get his first taste of spring football after playing spending time on multiple NFL practice squads and Bryce Torneden, who was an All-USFL selection in 2022 with the Pittsburgh Maulers, will look to impact the secondary. Collin Bauer returns for his second season on the defensive staff, overseeing the defensive line, but defensive coordinator duties have been added to his responsibilities for the 2024 season.
As for special teams, the Panthers have a new kicker in Jake Bates and are looking for Bates to get much needed experience in this game. The Panthers also acquired punter Brock Miller and LS Jordan Ober from the former New Jersey Generals.
The St. Louis Battlehawks finished the 2023 XFL season with a 7-3 record in Anthony Becht’s first year as head coach. In a competitive North Division, the Battlehawks missed the playoffs in favor of the 7-3 Seattle Sea Dragons due to a fifth tiebreaker scenario. The team earned five All-XFL Team selections: WR Hakeem Butler, OT Jayrd Jones-Smith, OG Steven Gonzalez, C Mike Panasiuk, DB Lavert Hill, and KR/PR and Special Teams Player of the Year Darrius Shepherd.
Anthony Becht returns to the Battlehawks for his second season as a head coach after he led St. Louis to a 7-3 record in 2023, which was tied for the second-best record in the XFL. Becht played 11 seasons at tight end in the NFL. Following his playing career, Becht worked as a college football analyst for ESPN and is a host for NY Jets Gameday. He also coached Tight Ends in the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl before accepting the same position with the San Diego Fleet of the Alliance of American Football in 2018.
For St. Louis, quarterback A.J. McCarron, who led the XFL in touchdown passes last season (25), has returned as their starter in 2024. Due to injury, the Battlehawks are without former Sea Dragons, 2023 XFL All-Star, wide receiver Jahcour Pearson, but McCarron will look to a strong set of hands in Darrius Shepherd, Hakeem Butler, and Marcell Ateman to catch his passes. With the addition of Blake Jackson and Jamarcus Bradley to the roster, McCarron should have plenty of targets. The Battlehawks will rely on former NFL draft pick Wayne Gallman as running back.
On defense, the venerable Pita Taumoepenu, leads the Battlehawks defensive line. On secondary the squad now features Keylon Kennedy, Chris Payton-Jones, Channing Stribling, and Qwynnterrio Cole.
On special teams, Battlehawks punter Sterling Hofrichter is back, along with long snapper Alexander Matheson, who is back after a stint with the Ravens. The Battlehawks have picked up kicker Andre Szmyt, a Syracuse product who was signed by the Chicago Bears as an undrafted free agent on May 4, 2023, and waived on August 8, 2023.
Conclusion
St. Louis comes into Ford Field with a proven offensive unit with continuity on quarterback. They are a confident squad which should matter, especially in the opening quarters. However, Panthers quarterback EJ Perry has a lot to prove, especially in how he came in late in the 2023 season and was able to spark the offense. He probably needs to continue on where he left off.
The oddsmakers have given St. Louis a big edge in this matchup, but they don’t always get it right. Simply put, this is why these games are played and fans show up to watch.
Lastly, look to witness the crowd size in Ford Field. The UFL got off to a late start with their ticket sales in Detroit, and there are hopes they have been able to catch up and attract fans to this game.
